Three healthy changes to guarantee fat loss

Many people struggle every day to lose fat, and they get incredibly frustrated when they don’t see results. If you are trying to lose fat, there are some things you must do in order to reach your ultimate goal. The following three strategies will get you started on your way to a better you!

1. Eat breakfast!
Your mother was right: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast first thing in the morning gets your metabolism started, which will give you higher levels of energy throughout the day. If you skip breakfast, it just forces your body to break down vital muscle tissue and suppresses your metabolism. Eating breakfast will allow your metabolism to run with more efficiency, which will lead to much higher levels of fat burning.

2. Lift weights!
I know, I know, a lot of you are saying that lifting weights will make you “big and bulky.” This is a very common misconception. Lifting weights helps add lean muscle mass to your frame. What most people think of as “big and bulky” is just someone that has too much fat. Muscle tissue increases your metabolism. For about every 5 pounds of muscle you gain, you increase your metabolism by about 250 calories per day. That’s like doing 30 minutes on the elliptical without even getting off your couch!

3. Cut back on sugar and alcohol!
Both sugar and alcohol cause your body to release lots of insulin. Insulin is your body’s storage hormone. When insulin levels are really high, it causes your body to stop burning fat and start storing it. That’s bad news if your goal is to lose fat. By simply cutting back or avoiding sugar and alcohol, you can keep this from happening all together. This is easier said than done in today’s world. Sugar is hidden in many of the foods that we eat and consider healthy. Fruit juices and sports drinks are prime examples of this. People tend to choose these beverages for their reputation as healthy, but they are actually full of sugar. In order to really avoid the negative effects of sugar, it is important to read food labels. If there is a large amount of sugar, try to find an alternative.

These three strategies will get you on your way toward a new you! It may seem a little simplistic at this point, but give these a try and I’ll guarantee you’ll see a difference in your results. But here’s the trick: You need to do them all together. Too many times people will learn something about fitness or weight loss, pick and choose what they want to try, and are then confused as to why it doesn’t work. Your body is a system and we need to use a systematic approach to improve it.

Jared Carter, CSCS, is the owner of Move Forward Fitness, a personal training company in Philadelphia. He is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and holds a B.S. in exercise science. You can reach him at (215) 868-5440 or at www.MoveForwardFitness.com with any questions. Jared also teaches a small-group seminar, Fitness 101, every two weeks.